


make the world safe and sound

by silveryink



Series: Blow Us All Away [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination Attempt(s), Background Fire Nation politics, Based on a Tumblr Post, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Found Family, Gaang (Avatar), Gen, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Minor Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Post-Canon, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Zuko Takes Himself on a Life-Changing Field Trip, his council does not, i love ty lee and suki so much, it's all offscreen tho, kind of, the Fire Nation loves Zuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25188541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveryink/pseuds/silveryink
Summary: Zuko's absolutely done with the council. It's time for a life-changing field trip and perhaps a new style of governance (and accidentally adopting a dragon along the way) to keep his promises to his people.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Ty Lee (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, Ty Lee & Zuko (Avatar), Zuko & The Fire Nation (Avatar)
Series: Blow Us All Away [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901056
Comments: 87
Kudos: 1587
Collections: avatar tingz





	make the world safe and sound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hot_leaf_juice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hot_leaf_juice/gifts).



> Inspired by [this post](https://silveryinkystar.tumblr.com/post/622886835294715904/i-imagine-zuko-at-first-being-firelord-is-like). I have no regrets about writing over 7k words on what was originally supposed to be half this length.
> 
> Disclaimer: I've only watched like three episodes of LoK so all I know is that sometime between his coronation and his appearance in LoK he a) gets a dragon and b) has a daughter. This focuses on the former half of those details and misc. Fire Nation politics. Apologies for any inaccuracies in how politics work and in canon.
> 
> Edit [29/7/20]: So I may have kind of written a companion fic for this? [Here's the link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594183) to it!
> 
> Title from Dear Theodosia in Hamilton.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

It takes Zuko one month as Fire Lord to realise that none of his councilmen consider him the serious leader of a nation that he is.

He shouldn’t really care _why_ , only that they _do_ , and yet it bothers him. He’s aware that he looks younger than he actually is – or would if it weren’t for the huge scar on his face. It hardly bothers him anymore, and if that’s the only thing to remind the others that he’s not some naïve child. An idealist, perhaps, like Uncle said, but his innocence was lost the moment Ozai set fire to his face.

Still. The blasted councillors won’t stop hounding him for every decision he offers to make. End the war? He’s met with a resounding no until he curtly reminds them that he’s well within his rights to make a unilateral decision as Fire Lord. Open up institutions to help war veterans adjust to society and cope with their trauma? _A waste of the nation’s finances_ , they say. Zuko thinks it’s a stupid excuse. The _war_ had been a massive waste of the nation’s coffers. Zuko’s going to do his absolute best to ensure that both sides come out of this permanent cease-fire with promises of hope and a bright future, but slapping down a series of reforms doesn’t feel like the right way to do so.

Aang helps smooth over the peace talks, and it’s a massive help to have Sokka and Katara represent the Southern Water Tribe while Hakoda returns to his homeland. He knows they’re leaving once things are settled, but it’s nice to have them in the palace for a little while.

Toph decides to make a nuisance of herself around the palace and sniff out Ozai loyalists, which makes Zuko want to wrap her in a huge hug and shower her with presents. He wasn’t going to protest her choice to stay _anyway_ , but he’s glad she has something to do to fill her time. A bored Toph Beifong makes for spontaneous target practice, and Zuko does not want to find himself at the bad end of a rock pillar in the middle of a palace.

Suki stays too, and he takes the opportunity to offer personal reparations for nearly burning down Kyoshi Island. The council fumes throughout the meeting, but Zuko has enough money saved up from his own allowance as the prince (no matter how short-lived that period had been) to offer monetary reparations or pay for any other resources they might require. Suki breaks down the negotiations awfully quickly, leaving no room for the official ambassador of the Earth Kingdom (no, not Toph) to speak up. They arrive at an agreement before anyone realises that they’re done, and Zuko spends the rest of the time he has free from the adjourned meeting telling Sokka to cherish Suki for the rest of his life.

Sokka looks a little alarmed at his forwardness, but blushes and agrees anyway. Suki, beside him, is as red as an apple-granate, and shyly pleased at the praise.

The rest of the meetings he attends as Fire Lord (or hosts, really) don’t go as smoothly. Mostly because they’re stuffed with Ozai’s supporters who are more intent on profiting off the war than actually helping their people. While he hadn’t expected anything else from the council that had been willing to sacrifice an entire division of fresh recruits as bait, he’s still disappointed by all the setbacks in his planning. He’ll have to go slower if he wants to get anything done and approved by them.

Not that he _needs_ approval, of course. It’s just not the example he wants to set for his people, of the type of ruler he wants to be.

Despite how _slow_ progress is, he does notice the changes around the palace as the days pass.

The servants and staff stop flinching every time they see him by the three-month count after his coronation. At the six-month mark, they top bowing whenever he enters a room or turns around a corridor. The kitchen staff doesn’t bat an eye anymore when he strides inside and wordlessly starts preparing a pot of tea when he’s stressed.

A year into his rule, he notices the biggest change of them all.

When he was a child, even under Azulon’s reign, the palace had been awfully quiet. Any talk among the servants was done in hushed murmurs, and even _that_ had stopped once his father took the throne. The whole place had been eerie and haunted in its silence. Zuko hadn’t really made the connection at the time, still caught up in his grief of losing Lu Ten _and_ Mother in the same night. Oh, and Fire Lord Azulon.

Right now, the chatter is soft but audible as he passes his staff in the hallways. He’s sure he heard some of them laugh in his earshot too, and the knowledge makes his heart _sing_. He so desperately wants the Fire Nation to heal, and, well, if that starts from the palace itself, he’s not going to complain.

He hires new advisors, who aren’t so disillusioned from the war as to follow him without question but also aren’t blinded by a century’s worth of propaganda to oppose him at every turn. He _wants_ to be questioned, wants his choices to be analysed critically before accepting them as the best one that can be made under the circumstances. He’d just also like the scrutiny to not impede his every move, thanks very much.

He writes to Uncle and Master Piandao. They’re about the only adults he trusts within the Fire Nation at the moment without a single doubt in his mind as to their motivations. His uncle wants what’s best for him, of course, but has never shied away from guiding Zuko towards doing the right thing. His advice would be invaluable in a situation like this. His old teacher would no doubt have some contacts squirreled away who he can send over to help Zuko rule.

Instead of two letters, at the end of the week, he finds himself with one reply and one Uncle at his doorstep. Zuko squashes the voice in his brain reminding him about the decorum expected of a Fire Lord mercilessly and throws himself into Uncle’s arms. Uncle Iroh is already expecting the movement and wraps him in a firm and solid embrace that probably lasts much longer than necessary.

He doesn’t care. He’s missed his family, and now Uncle’s _here_.

“You shouldn’t have to rule,” Iroh murmurs when they’re alone in his chambers. Zuko’s sitting at the foot of Uncle’s bed, ‘helping’ him unpack but really just sipping tea from his old, cracked tea set that he never threw away. He suspects it will be gone by the week and replaced by a brand-new set with lovely craftwork lining the outside and knows that he’ll cherish that set as much as he does this dilapidated one. He’ll love whatever his uncle gets, even if it’s absolutely hideous to look at.

“Someone has to,” he says mildly, unsure of what Iroh is getting at.

“You’re seventeen,” Uncle elaborates. “You should be worried about a date, or your lessons. Not about rebuilding an entire nation torn by war. As much as this arrangement is for the best, I wish I could take some of this burden off your hands.”

“Feel free to spit fire at Shinu if you’d like,” Zuko mumbles into his tea. “I want him out of my council, but so far he’s been mostly complacent with the way things are going. I don’t like it.”

Iroh narrows his eyes, and Zuko tries not to squirm under his sharp gaze. “Zuko, if the man makes you so uncomfortable, you are well within your rights to order him to resign.”

“I can’t do that without reason,” Zuko says, raking a hand through his hair and wincing when it pulls at his top knot. “Then the other loyalists will take that as a sign that I’m – I’m _weeding them out_ , and they’ll turn on me immediately. I can make unilateral decisions, but I need the council for big reforms like the ones I have in mind. I can’t–”

He yelps and hastily moves his hand aside, making sure the remaining tea in his cup doesn’t spill over when Uncle folds him into another embrace. “Uncle, what–”

“You’re too young to be dealing with problems like these,” Uncle says sadly once he pulls away. “You shouldn’t be worring about senseless politics like this, you should be thinking about your lessons or dates.”

Zuko wrinkles his nose. “Uncle, I don’t think _dates_ would be my first concern even if I wasn’t in this position.”

He thinks back to Jin and Mahesh, the boy Uncle had practically shoved him out of the tea shop with one night, and how both of those dates had been total disasters. He thinks about Mai, too. He loves her, but not the way everyone expected of them. They officially, _properly_ broke up a few days after his coronation when they had some time to talk things through. He got a letter from her a week ago and deduced from the way she _only_ talked about Ty Lee that her love life was blossoming rather well and had said as much in his reply. He’s not sure he’s anticipating a reply.

Uncle nods and ducks his head. “Of course, my mistake. But my point still stands. You children shouldn’t have to build a new era of peace, let alone fight in the war.”

Zuko shrugs. “It’s done, though. At least this way I get to actually have a say in how to make things better.”

Iroh snorts. “True. Ozai would likely have _started_ a war if there hadn’t already been one.”

“Would you have?” Zuko asks curiously. “I mean no offence, but–”

“I know, Zuko,” Iroh replies, and sighs. “Truthfully, I don’t know what I would have done. I didn’t realise the war was wrong until the loss of Lu Ten. If I’d been raised during peacetime, perhaps… all I can say is that I hope I wouldn’t do so.”

Zuko nods, satisfied. “I think that’s all that matters,” he says absently. Iroh chuckles and pours out a cup of tea for himself.

“I’m glad you think so, nephew. Now, enough of this talk. Would you humour an old man and listen to his tales about his tea shop?”

Agni, would he ever. He sincerely wishes Iroh has updates on thar horribly screechy lady who kept returning to the shop just to complain about their service.

“I’d love to, Uncle.”

* * *

The year after Zuko’s coronation brings on a whole new set of problems. Now that the danger of the war starting again is out of the way, he finds that the council has zeroed on him and is very intent on opposing everything he does that goes against Ozai’s rule.

Which basically brings the list to _everything_.

He’s tired of arguing and defending every motion he brings up during council sessions, and having to go through this endless cycle with no break in routine. He’s sleeping less and stressing more, but until the council gets off his back there isn’t much he can do. He’s replaced two of the old war ministers who had been extremely vocal about their position on the subject of peace, giving him the perfect opportunity to do what he’d been meaning to do all this time.

Where they can’t inconvenience him in the throne room, they do so in a series of attempts of sabotage and assassination that leave him frankly exhausted to do anything but maintain what little he currently has going on. Which is probably their plan, because an exhausted Fire Lord isn’t exactly a dangerous one, politically speaking. Despite how tired he feels all the time, he’s alert at the smallest sound and ready to fight by the time he and the assassin come face-to-face.

Years of looking over his shoulder, of sleeping with one eye open, of being wary of any threat around him haven’t left him in the year he’s been surrounded by the best his guard has to offer. He’s not so foolish to assume that the few assassins who slip past their watch are the _only_ ones who make attempts on his life. There are certainly more of them, and on nights when he can’t go to sleep, he can sometimes hear the scuffles outside his doors if he concentrates hard enough.

His guard keeps the exact numbers carefully hidden, presumably not to worry him. He couldn’t _possibly_ be more anxious or stressed than he is now, and it all comes to a conclusion when finally, _finally_ , one of the assassins confesses to a larger plot. The _New Ozai Society_ , apparently, had it out for him the entire time he’d ruled and, predictably, loyal to his father. He gets the names of half the men on his council and immediately replaces them all with reasonable options without a moment’s hesitation.

Suki comes to visit with Toph, and the young earthbender takes one second to sense his heartbeat before announcing that the Fire Lord ‘will be taking a vacation for the rest of the day, no, he will not need any guards, thank you very much’ and dragging him out into the marketplace.

“Something happened,” Suki declares. Zuko ducks his head in agreement, but doesn’t volunteer any information. “You look exhausted.”

He shrugs. Is there really anything he can say to that?

“Zuko, we want to help you if we can,” Suki adds, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He instantly relaxes under the touch, soaking it in after three months of nothing but the bare minimum. Compared to even the days he was basically a fugitive upon joining Team Avatar, it’s basically nothing. Suki catches his reaction – as does Toph – and pulls him firmly to her side.

“I thought you said the other nations are happy to cooperate now?” Toph asks.

“They are,” Zuko replies, wincing at the hoarseness in his voice from alternating overuse and disuse. “The council’s the one causing problems now. Actually, it’s bigger than that. There’s this group of loyalists–”

“The New Ozai Society?” Suki interrupts sharply. Off his quizzical look, she adds, “Mai mentioned them to Ty Lee in one of her letters. Ty Lee knew that I was visiting so she said to keep an eye out for them. She and the other Kyoshi Warriors are joining me at the end of the week, so we’ll try to help your guards with anything they need.”

“Won’t it be seen as–”

“A personal favour to my friend,” Suki completes with a grin. “I still owe you one for the Boiling Rock.”

Zuko’s nonplussed by this response. “I did that because it was the right thing to do, you don’t owe me for it. Besides, I guess that would make up for burning down Kyoshi Island.”

“Nah, buddy, you did that with reparations. I still owe you one.” Her eyes are twinkling with amusement, though, so he huffs a laugh and leans further into her side. Suki’s a great friend, and her level-headedness is something he keeps wishing he had himself.

Her sense of humour is so very like Sokka’s, though, so he thinks it balances itself out.

“So how do you plan on paying up?” he relents, and her smile widens into a grin.

“That’s where Toph comes in. We’re spending the day however _you_ want, except you don’t get to choose your Fire Lord duties as an option.” She raises an eyebrow at him, and he raises his hands in surrender.

“Of course not. Why would I consider doing that?”

“Sarcasm won’t get you anywhere,” Toph mutters, elbowing him hard in his free side.

“On the contrary, I got three councilmen to resign with that alone,” he says proudly. “It’s one of the greatest things I’ve done.”

“You faced off Ozai during the eclipse and shot his own lightning back at him,” Suki points out.

“That’s why I said ‘one of’.”

The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur of walking through the marketplace, picking out some trinkets their friends might like, or just eyeing the various displays and chatting like they’ve known each other all their lives. Zuko finds himself far more relaxed now than he’s been all of last year, not since Uncle returned to Ba Sing Se. There will be more visits, regular ones too, but they both had agreed that once every six months would be the best pattern until the peace had been firmly established in the Fire Nation and in the world.

“Rock for your thoughts?” Toph interrupts his musings as they return arm-in-arm to the palace that evening. “You think loudly, so we’d better get to hear _some_ of them.”

“I don’t – what does that _mean_?”

“Your heart. It changes a lot depending on what you think. It’s the slowest I’ve heard it, but it speeds up a bit and slows again every so often with no real pattern to it. Therefore, probably when you’re thinking. So spill, Sparky.”

“I miss Uncle,” he admits softly. “I understand why we agreed on this arrangement, but I’d love to have him here.”

“We checked up on him before leaving the Earth Kingdom,” Suki says. “He said pretty much the same thing. He _loves_ the tea shop, don’t get me wrong, but you’ve always been his priority.”

He chuckles. “Oh, no. Get him a good cup of ginseng and you see how quickly his priorities change.”

Suki bursts into peals of laughter, and Toph snickers. “Classic Uncle,” she says at last, dramatically wiping away a tear. “He’s been keeping tabs on you, obviously. He said to make sure you ate and slept enough, not to push yourself, and that you’re doing great.”

Spirits, he’s not going to cry. Despite his best attempts, he finds his vision glossing over with tears. He swipes them away and ruffles Toph’s hair, ignoring her squawk of indignation. “Thanks,” he manages through the lump in his throat.

Suki squeezes his shoulder. “Did I tell you what Sokka did when he visited Kyoshi Island last month?” she asks, sensing the need for a topic change. “It was a total _mess_ , the way that things can only be for _Sokka_ …”

* * *

Zuko can’t take this nonsense anymore. He’s twenty, he’s a _legal, spirits-damned adult_ , and his councilmen insist on treating him like he’s an incompetent stand-in for his position despite having been Fire Lord for over three years.

He’s tired of complaining to Uncle about it, but he can’t do anything about the remaining Ozai supporters on his council until they make another move which he can pounce on. Unfortunately, ever since Zuko had replaced half their numbers in one fell swoop, they’ve been playing it careful and being remarkably cautious in everything they do. Even their dissent is passive-aggressive these days instead of being overtly annoying.

The old viper-rats _still_ don’t understand why he’s adamant on his people living their lives happily, since it doesn’t benefit them directly. He knows that they’ve switched from profiting off the war to profiting off any sort of system they can get their hands on, which is why he decided to make the essential ones heavily reliant on the public sector. He’s been planning this shift from the day he assumed his position, so unveiling his final move had been immensely satisfying.

And then the final assassin had managed to sneak into his room that night.

Why did they have to be a _combustion bender_?

Suki and Ty Lee had snuck up on the assassin while he’d been extra flashy and distracting as he fought them off and chi-blocked them twice over to make sure that their efforts weren’t in vain. Then, together, they’d hauled the assassin all the way to the cells and locked them in an isolated, secure room far away from Ozai or anyone loyal to him till Zuko decided what to do with them. They followed him to the palace and only speak up when he moved in the direction of the air balloon fleet.

“I just… trust me on this, please?” It’s the complete opposite of an explanation, but he can’t return to his room (which he’s sure sustained some damage from all the _combustion bending_ ) without feeling like he’s going to fall apart, somehow. He’s absolutely _had it_ , he can’t take it anymore unless he follows his impulse and takes a break. “I can live off the land if I have to, but I don’t think I can stay here.”

Ty Lee has already bounded off to who knows where, and Suki helps him ready one of the balloons for his departure. It takes a good while for the entire thing to fill, and in that time she sits by his side while he tries not to break into pieces.

“I think a vacation will be good for you,” she offers, “but this doesn’t seem like one.”

“It – it isn’t,” he says thickly. “I just need to be… _away_. From here. It’s becoming too much. I have to fight the council on _everything_ , or stop _them_ from fighting, and–”

“Slow down, Zuko,” Suki says, alarmed. “I get it. Are you sure you want to do this alone? I can talk to the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors if you’d like, Ty Lee and I would be happy to join you if you want.”

 _No_ , says something deep within him. “I have to do this alone.”

Suki’s gaze locks on his, sharp and analysing. He doesn’t look away.

“Fine,” she says at last. “You’d better be back in one piece, dummy. And _write to us_ if you need help.”

He manages a wan smile. “I promise.”

“I know this is something you’re following on impulse,” Ty Lee’s voice cuts through unexpectedly, “and you really don’t like planning for anything but your Fire Lord stuff, but you should take some of your things with you.”

“I shouldn’t be long, actually,” he says, eyeing the pack she extends to him with a frown. “I think I can manage a few days by myself.”

“With no food or water? Don’t be stupid. I also packed your swords in there, because I know you like them so much.” Ty Lee raises a brow. “Look, I ran away from my family when I was fourteen to join the circus. I know what I’m talking about.”

“I’ve been on the road alone before,” Zuko protests, accepting the pack anyway.

“Yeah, and how exactly did that work out?” she asks innocently. Zuko winces; she’s not exactly wrong. He’d nearly starved to death on multiple occasions – and might actually _have_ died if it hadn’t been for the kindness of strangers and the occasional highway robbery along the way.

“Fair point. I have better life skills now, though. And I’m the Fire Lord.”

Suki snorts. “Don’t pull that nonsense with us, you’ll probably try to hide it as best as you can. I know what that hood means.”

“Okay, okay, jeez. You don’t have to baby me. I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be _fine_.”

Suki smirks, and Ty Lee grins as he flips into the basket, loosening the tether. “You’re sure you know how to fly that?” she checks.

“Yes,” he grits out, rolling his eyes. She holds up her hands, still grinning.

“Just checking.” Ty Lee flips gracefully onto the rim of the basket and crouches as she pulls him into a hug. “Be careful, yeah? Mai would be mad if you decided to follow your heart and ended up doing something recklessly stupid.”

He grins and kisses her forehead. Spirits, he loves his friends. “I’ll be fine,” he repeats. “I think I know what I have to do, anyway.”

She grins and flips off the balloon, yanking the loosened rope with her so that the balloon rises into the sky.

“We’ll tell your advisors to fill in for you, and to follow your notes,” Suki calls, and then her voice is lost to the wind.

He waves at them, because he can, and steps back towards the small engine to punch a fist of fire into it.

It’s about time Zuko takes himself on a life-changing field trip, after all.

* * *

Ty Lee thinks that the palace is overreacting to her announcement. Zuko going on an impulsive soul-searching trip isn’t too far beyond imagination; in fact, it’s very much in-character for the man she’s known since childhood. Even Suki, who’s only known him for four years, seems to grasp this.

The council does _not_.

Zuko’s palace staff, however, very much _do._ They take her news with a simple nod and well-wishes for their ruler, which is entirely unexpected on its own and somehow… not?

Mai had written to her extensively about the changes in the palace when Ty Lee had returned with the warriors to Kyoshi Island to train exclusively with them, and talked about it during her visit. She hadn’t really believed it at the time. It wasn’t like anyone could blame her for it, either – the palace she was used to had been silent and gloomy, with a malevolent aura looming over them all. Now, Ty Lee realises that Mai was _right_ , and the palace’s aura has never been brighter.

She’s not sure how much of that is to do with the peace dispelling the utter misery of war, and how much of it is Zuko’s doing. It’s probably a healthy mix of both, knowing him. She’s been observing him all week, while shadowing him, and knows that he dearly loves his people as much as he loves his friends. And the cardinal rule of _Knowing Zuko_ is that when Zuko loves someone, he’ll do anything in his power to keep them happy and safe. While his loyalty has its drawbacks, namely along the lines of endangering himself for the sake of others, it’s a very, _very_ good thing right now, and definitely what the Fire Nation needs to heal.

The fact that she can walk with her hand looped through Mai’s down the marketplace without having to hide their love is simply more proof of the same.

Spirits, she misses Mai. Why her parents insist on dragging her around the Fire Nation for matters that don’t involve her she has no idea.

Suki nudges her lightly. “Let’s go,” she says, nodding towards the advisor. “Most other people don’t know that Zuko left last night, so we should be okay to take a few shifts off.”

“The advisor might need the extra detail, though,” Ty Lee points out. “We could talk to the palace staff. I’ll tell them to call us if things start to get fishy.”

“Great. I’ll call the rest of the girls. Zuko swears by the apple-granate trees in the orchard, and I’ve been meaning to try them out.” She pauses. “You’re allowed to pick fruits from the trees, right?”

Ty Lee shrugs. “You can, but you’ll have talk to Leela – to the head gardener first. She’s really particular about maintenance, so I wouldn’t put it past her to remember every fruit on the tree.”

“Right. Thanks, Ty Lee!” With that, Suki jogs off in the direction of the Kyoshi Warriors’ chambers. Ty Lee grins and performs a series of flips towards the advisors. She likes Zuko’s new advisors, unlike the creepy old ones he’d had at the beginning of his reign. Li and Surya are smart and attentive without being overbearing, perfect for shaping Zuko’s scatter-brained ideas into something comprehensible.

They’re puzzled about this sudden change in duties, but take it far better than others might have. She makes a mental note to tell Zuko to give them a pay raise, because he’s struck gold with these two.

She joins the girls beneath the apple-granate tree, where they’re all munching on the sweet fruit happily. This is the least stressful afternoon she’s had as Zuko’s personal guard, and she wonders how he can take so much anxiety without cracking. It’s probably through stunts like this, she rationalises not moments later. She vows to make sure he’s not alone through this, though. At the rate he seems to be going, he’ll work himself to the ground before he turns thirty.

She’ll recruit Mai into her plan, along with Toph. They’ll be _more_ than happy to bully or intimidate Zuko into taking care of himself. Katara and Aang travel often enough, so she’ll be able to stop by and mother-hen him into it. Ty Lee knows that Aang is like a little brother to Zuko, and she feels no shame in exploiting that affection to her need. It’s for his good, anyway. A healthy Fire Lord makes for a clear-minded Fire Lord, which means a happy and safe Fire Nation for her to live in. It’s as simple as that, with the bonus of friendship and manipulating your oldest friend into self-care. By the time she’s done with him, his aura will be the brightest and shiniest ever known in Fire Nation history.

Speaking of Mai, she returns to the palace five days after Zuko’s impromptu departure. Ty Lee is honestly surprised that the council hasn’t pounced on this opportunity to plot against the Fire Lord, given the huge stink they put up about it on the first day, when she catches the familiar swishing of Mai’s wide and sweepy silks hiding the tell-tale glint of her knives.

“Mai!” she shrieks, bounding up to the other girl. “I thought you wouldn’t be here till next week!”

“I got bored,” Mai replies dryly, but there’s a smile at the corners of her lips. No one else would notice, given how guarded she is all the time, but Ty Lee _knows_ Mai. “And maybe I missed you.”

She grins and kisses her lightly, leaning forward on her toes to match Mai’s height. “I missed you too,” she says, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. Mai rolls her eyes and lowers her hand to grip Ty Lee’s securely.

“A lot happened after you left,” Ty Lee says experimentally, unable to keep the bounce out of her step as she walks beside Mai.

The other girl hums and quirks an eyebrow. “Is that why Zuko has a baby dragon now?”

Her grin falters as the fog of bewilderment seeps into her mind. “I – _what_?”

Mai frowns. “He’s out in the courtyard, talking to Suki and Surya. I thought you knew.”

“No,” Ty Lee says carefully. “I didn’t know.”

A beat.

“Was the dragon cute?”

* * *

“You’re my secret weapon, Druk,” Zuko whispers to the coiled lump on his shoulder as he strides towards his throne room. “Not so much secret considering the entire palace is probably gossiping about you, but it’s the thought that counts. You’re going to get the council to agree to my plans.”

Druk yawns and exhales a puff of smoke. He grins and lightly scratches his snout, earning a pleased squeak and rumble. The days of Druk roaring and breathing impressive jets of rainbow fire will come later, _much_ later, and Zuko will let him follow his instincts as to when he’s ready. He hadn’t expected the hatchling to imprint on him, but he’s glad that the Sun Warriors decided to let him take Druk with him to the Fire Nation.

Of course, his first order of action was to declare dragons as an endangered and protected species and slap the highest penalties onto hunting them. Not that anyone would try to hunt Druk at the moment.

The council looks understandably shocked to see him. He’s not the typical image of the Fire Lord he’s been so far, in a simple knee-length tunic and slowly growing hair tied back messily, reminiscent of his life before his banishment. Druk takes to scratching at his top knots, so he’s resigned to not wearing them until he grows out of the habit. Oh, yeah, they’re surprised to see Druk too, considering Uncle’s lie about hunting down the last dragons.

“Fire Lord,” someone starts, and then it’s a wave of indignant, confused and enraged shouting that envelops him. Druk leaps to the ground before his feet and opens his maw wide to exhale enough smoke to leave the men coughing and trying to regain their breath.

Zuko smirks. “Good dragon,” he whispers to Druk, who preens and joins him at the throne, curling up on the seat to his side. He relents for once and lights up the line of flames before him, and Druk squeaks happily at the warmth before lying as close to the flames as he can without getting burnt. Can dragons get burnt? He’ll have to ask Uncle after this meeting.

“I believe you all have questions about my absence in the last couple of days, and I shall get around to answering them eventually. I intend on making the most of this time, however, to carry out my duties to the Fire Nation instead of defending my choice.”

The throne room is silent, but Zuko catches more than one glare thrown at him. Fair enough, but he doesn’t really care about the council’s opinion of him anymore. Even the ones he appointed to replace Ozai’s supporters last year, who’ve proved that they too only care about themselves. He’d mostly looked for people who weren’t actively trying to kill him or go against him, but evidently that was a mistake.

“I’ve drafted a new Constitution based on our existing rules and traditions,” he says bluntly. “It will be put into effect from the next week, once I send copies to every city, town, district and village of the Fire Nation and make sure people know of these changes before doing so. I shall be employing a team every five years to review the relevance of these laws and amending them if they deem it necessary, and ensure that the foundation our Nation is built on will not be hindered by petty squabbles and politics.”

“You can’t separate laws from politics,” someone objects.

“I think you’ll find that I can,” he counters, low and dangerous. “These laws are meant to protect the rights of every citizen of our country, from the poorest and most disadvantaged to the wealthiest and the privileged. I suppose I should have said that the upkeep of the Constitution will be out of the hands of _politicians_ , who mostly look out for themselves and the amount of power they can hoard first, before turning to the people they’ve sworn to protect.

“There will be safeguards against it, of course,” he adds, ignoring their livid expressions. “Extensive background checks will be conducted while hiring the new committee and council. I promised to bring in an era of love and peace for our people, so I’m holding myself up to the vow.”

“A new council, Fire Lord?” General Shinu asks hesitantly.

“Right, yes. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, General.” Zuko tries to hold back his smirk – this is the bit he’s been waiting for since the start of his meeting. “I’ll be disbanding this council, effective today after this meeting ends. At the end of the day, I shall put out an announcement of the reformation of the government and establishing departments under which each minister will have certain duties to perform, unhindered by others’ dissent. Per my consultations with past records and various other governing authorities,” – by which he mostly means King Bumi – “I’ve come to the conclusion that such an arrangement would be the most effective method of ruling our country and paving a better future for our people long after my term as Fire Lord is over.”

“You can’t – you can’t do this,” Shinu protests, standing with his hands fisted at his sides. Zuko thinks they’re smoking, and subtly prepares himself to easily step into a defensive position. “Not without our approval.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, General,” he says, satisfaction rushing coolly through his veins. “As your Fire Lord, I think you’ll find that I can.”

* * *

“I have to put it to you, buddy,” Sokka says, clapping a hand on Zuko’s shoulder, “I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.”

“Sokka, I reformed the government ten years ago,” he says, exasperated. “Why would I ask for help if I wasn’t actually planning on going through with it?”

“True. You still don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘stop’. Or ‘pause’. Or ‘impossible’. The last one’s a good thing, usually, but not so much when it’s you.”

“Go boil your head,” Zuko says good-naturedly.

“Hey, all I mean is that you’re the only one of us who’s bull-headed enough–”

“Oh, no, that award goes to my little sister over there who regularly headbutts rocks to express dominance over them.”

Sokka laughs and leans back on the railing. Zuko grins and gazes out into the large ballroom that he replaced the throne room with, on grounds of only needing a single meeting room for his cabinet of ministers. Toph had been more than happy to level the pedestal with the rest of the floor and smooth over the line of flames before the throne. She’d also been nice enough to upturn the tiles and pave the ground so that it was brand new, and Zuko had had them panelled with specially lacquered wood so that it wouldn’t burn.

The Fire Nation is so very different now, than the one he knew as a child. _His_ Fire Nation is proud of the love that fills its streets. It celebrates peace and kindness. It feels like _home_ , in a way that it hadn’t felt for a long while. Zuko turns to Sokka with a bright smile. “What do you think about giving the party the slip and roaming the streets?”

“I’ll call the others,” Sokka volunteers instantly. “You go get Druk and Appa.”

Zuko grins and waits until Sokka has merged with the crowd before hoisting himself onto the railing. He lets out a sharp cry, not unlike a bird’s, and waits for Druk’s long, looping form to sweep past him before leaping directly onto his back.

“Good dragon,” he praises, running up lightly to the joint where he normally sits. “Let’s go find Appa.”

His dragon is getting _big_. It shouldn’t be surprising, considering Druk had multiplied five times his size in the first month after Zuko had brought him to the Fire Nation, but it never ceases to impress him.

As promised, when Zuko returns with Appa in tow, Sokka has gathered all their friends on the balcony. Suki grins and waves at him before taking a running leap onto Appa’s back, using Druk as a launching pad. Sokka nimbly climbs onto the saddle while Aang airbends himself and Katara onto Appa. Zuko helps Toph onto Druk, who’s just big enough to carry them both without feeling the weight. Zuko’s certain he’ll be able to carry them all in a few years.

“To the Western Air Temple?” Aang guesses.

“Yep,” Zuko agrees. “Toph and I will meet you there. I want to show Druk the scenic route.”

“Is there such a thing?” Sokka muses aloud, then catches sight of the full moon. “We’ll meet you there,” he adds with a wistful smile. “Like old times, then?”

“I sorely hope not,” Toph mumbles, clutching onto Zuko like he’s the only thing between her and certain death.

“You okay?” he checks. “I can go back for the harness if you’d like–”

“No,” she says immediately, shifting till she has her arms wrapped securely around him. “I’m good. Now get flying.”

“As you command,” he says dryly, earning a sharp poke in the ribs for it. It’s only years of practice and his well-honed reflexes that keep him from squirming even as he calls out a command for Druk to head westward.

“Flying on Druk is very different from flying on Appa,” Toph comments after a while.

“Obviously,” Zuko says. “He’s a dragon. Appa’s a sky bison. Dragons are built for speed and dexterity.”

“So how come they aren’t the original airbending source? Sounds a lot like Twinkletoes for me.”

“I think it might have something to do with the rainbow fire they can breathe,” he retorts.

“Ha ha. What was that about rainbow fire?”

“Dragon fire is multicoloured,” Zuko explains. “I forgot that I never told you.”

“Huh. Can firebenders do it?”

“For the most part, it’s hard to find any firebender who can bend _blue_ fire, like Azula. She’s the only one I know of who _can_ do it, actually,” Zuko muses, “but there are probably others. The knowledge that dragons can breathe rainbow fire is probably long-lost. According to Roku’s journals, Fang only did so when he was alone so that the secret was protected.”

“The history lesson’s cool and all that,” Toph says slowly. “But can _you_ do it?”

“Yeah,” he says shyly. “I was practicing the other day and it just… happened.”

“ _Awesome_ ,” Toph grins. “I have the coolest firebending brother in the world.”

“I thought that was Aang?”

“Have you _seen_ Twinkletoes? Kid’s a nerd.”

“Just yesterday you were calling _me_ a nerd for complaining about the Ember Island Players,” Zuko protests. “Besides, you’re Aang’s age. If anyone’s calling him a kid, it’s me.”

She blows a raspberry at him.

“Real mature, Toph. I can’t believe you’re twenty-six.”

“Shut up,” she mutters, as Druk lowers himself to the ground. At Zuko’s light tap on her arm, she carefully slides down Druk’s side from where he’s lowered himself for her. “Thanks, Druk.”

He roars and puffs out a ring of smoke in her direction. It wreathes her as it passes by, and she chuckles. Zuko leaps lightly down next to her. “You can explore, buddy,” he tells Druk. “Just be careful not to break anything.”

Druk roars again and bumps Zuko’s forearm lightly before taking off into the sky again.

“You sure he’ll be back?”

“He always does, especially when I call.”

Toph hums. “Come on, _Fire Lord_ ,” she teases, pulling him towards the temple. “I thought we were here to relax and appreciate the new era you’ve brought into the world.”

“I brought a new era to the _Fire Nation_ ,” he protests. “The world is still the same.”

“It’s not,” she says, soft in the way he’s come to recognise as the tone she reserves for him and Uncle alone. “It’s brighter now. You’ve done what you set out to do, Zuko.”

He grins and casts a look at the sky. It had been a hard path he’d taken, but he can’t say he regrets any of it. He turns towards his friends, laughing and shouting like when they were kids, and smiles. He’s _here_ , with his friends – his family, or most of it – and he’s happy.

It’s enough, he realises. He’d been searching for something all his life, and he’s found it in the people he surrounds himself with.

It’s peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Slipped in some biromantic ace Zuko because why not
> 
> I genuinely adore how happy Zuko is around Mai, even if I don't necessarily ship Maiko. I wrote a scene featuring that got cut in the rewrite, but I'll post it (and a few others) to my Tumblr and link them back ([here](https://silveryinkystar.tumblr.com/post/623281363670417408/some-deleted-scenes-from-my-latest-atla-fic-1))!
> 
> Meanwhile, Ty Lee's perspective was unexpected but not entirely unwelcome - she's incredibly smart and intuitive, a lot more than people give her credit for (mostly because of the way she deliberately crafts her own image). I feel like she and Mai would have gotten closer to Zuko after his coronation, and he'd be the biggest supporter of their relationship.
> 
> I know that most the AtLA universe is based on an amalgam of various Asian cultures, but I found a lot of parallels between the Fire Nation's progress in the Hundred Years' War and Britain's Industrial Revolution and colonisation of India. It led to an extended headcanon that I expanded in a deleted scene about how the Fire Nation's own industrial growth and war-hungry nobility would have impacted the working class citizens (like the factory workers in the 19th century). It's not particularly relevant to the story, but I'm a bit of a nerd about these things ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


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